The Burning
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- Create Date：2021-09-22 21:21:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jonathan Kellerman
- ISBN：B08TVG1J49
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Summary
Things get personal for Deputy Coroner Clay Edison when a murder hits close to home in this riveting， emotional thriller from the bestselling father-son team。
A raging wildfire。 A massive blackout。 A wealthy man shot to death in his palatial hilltop home。
For Clay Edison， it's all in a day's work。 As a deputy coroner， caring for the dead， he speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves。 He prides himself on an unflinching commitment to the truth。 Even when it gets him into trouble。
Then， while working the murder scene， Clay is horrified to discover a link to his brother， Luke。 Horrified。 But not surprised。 Luke is fresh out of prison and struggling to stay on the straight and narrow。
And now he's gone AWOL。
The race is on for Clay to find him before anyone else can。 Confronted with Luke's legacy of violence， Clay is forced to reckon with his own suspicions， resentments， and loyalties。 Is his brother a killer？ Or could he be the victim in all of this， too？
This is Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman at their most affecting and page-turning--a harrowing collision of family， revenge， and murder。
A raging wildfire。 A massive blackout。 A wealthy man shot to death in his palatial hilltop home。
For Clay Edison， it's all in a day's work。 As a deputy coroner， caring for the dead， he speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves。 He prides himself on an unflinching commitment to the truth。 Even when it gets him into trouble。
Then， while working the murder scene， Clay is horrified to discover a link to his brother， Luke。 Horrified。 But not surprised。 Luke is fresh out of prison and struggling to stay on the straight and narrow。
And now he's gone AWOL。
The race is on for Clay to find him before anyone else can。 Confronted with Luke's legacy of violence， Clay is forced to reckon with his own suspicions， resentments， and loyalties。 Is his brother a killer？ Or could he be the victim in all of this， too？
This is Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman at their most affecting and page-turning--a harrowing collision of family， revenge， and murder。
Reviews
PottWab Regional Library
，
SM
Diane Saul
，
Clay Edison is a deputy corner。 When he arrives at the scene of a wealthy murder victim he discovers evidence indicating Luke， his ex con brother， might be connected to the victim。 Clay has to find his brother before law enforcement zeros in on him as the culprit。 You don’t get much of a feel for the character Luke。 The motivation for the killings seems a little far fetched， but the book was entertaining enough for me to keep reading。 Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy。
Diane Hernandez
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The Burning is the fourth thriller in the Clay Edison series。 And it’s my least favorite so far， unfortunately。Clay is a Deputy Coroner who investigates suspicious deaths。 At one murder scene， he finds his brother’s classic car in the victim’s garage。 His brother， Luke， had a rough start in life with addiction and prison marring it。 But he had seemed to turn it around。 Why won’t he answer Clay’s calls and texts？ Where has he been since the murder？ Clay decides to wipe his brother’s car to remove The Burning is the fourth thriller in the Clay Edison series。 And it’s my least favorite so far， unfortunately。Clay is a Deputy Coroner who investigates suspicious deaths。 At one murder scene， he finds his brother’s classic car in the victim’s garage。 His brother， Luke， had a rough start in life with addiction and prison marring it。 But he had seemed to turn it around。 Why won’t he answer Clay’s calls and texts？ Where has he been since the murder？ Clay decides to wipe his brother’s car to remove fingerprints。 Then， he begins to investigate Luke’s disappearance using official resources。 Clay will lose his job if anyone finds out he tampered with potential evidence。I have two issues with the book。 First， why would Clay wipe fingerprints off Luke’s car at a crime scene？ It risks his job。 It is ineffectual because the car is registered to Luke。 Second， an armchair detective cannot use clues to solve the crime。 When Clay figures it out， that is the first time the perps are mentioned in the book。 Plus， the motive doesn’t ring true either。While I will read the next book in this series， I didn’t like The Burning much。 3 stars。Thanks to Ballantine Books， Random House and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Sue F
，
The fire seems like the main character…I had never read anything by Jesse Kellerman， so I was happy to receive an advance review copy of the latest title in his Clay Edison series， The Burning， written in partnership with his father， Jonathan Kellerman。 And I’m glad I got the chance to read it。 As I mentioned， this is my first read in this series， so at first I had trouble putting some of the pieces of the story together - especially the relationship between Clay and his brother， who has been in The fire seems like the main character…I had never read anything by Jesse Kellerman， so I was happy to receive an advance review copy of the latest title in his Clay Edison series， The Burning， written in partnership with his father， Jonathan Kellerman。 And I’m glad I got the chance to read it。 As I mentioned， this is my first read in this series， so at first I had trouble putting some of the pieces of the story together - especially the relationship between Clay and his brother， who has been in prison， but is now out， and appears to be going straight。 There weren’t a lot of details about Luke in the beginning， and I didn’t know if that was deliberate on the authors’ part， or if I just didn’t know background I was supposed to know， since I hadn’t read the earlier titles。 Also， without being spoiler-ish， since it happened early on， I wasn’t sure if Clay’s behavior when he saw some evidence at a crime scene that might （or might not） point to his brother was reasonable。 The lengths he went to and the risks he took seemed a little over the top to me， so I had to purposefully suspend disbelief a few times while getting into the book。 Regardless of my initial uncertainty， however， once things got going there were three intriguing story lines that danced around each other – the original crime， Luke’s possible involvement/subsequent disappearance， and of course， the eponymous wildfire that formed an amazing background to the entire tale。 And they wrapped up at the end with quite a twist。 I’m a fan of police procedurals， and I appreciated seeing the “procedures” in The Burning from a deputy coroner’s perspective， rather than a more typical detective’s viewpoint。 Oddly though， perhaps because we’re in the middle of another hot， dry season in California right now， the fire itself turned out to be the thing I remember the most after finishing the book。 All-in-all， I enjoyed The Burning， and will keep an eye out for the other books in the series。 Although the mystery itself was worthy of five-stars， my early confusion， together with the fact that I found some of the （non-bad-guy） characters to be a bit unlikeable， bumped it down to a four-star read for me。 （Yes， I know it may be shallow to want the characters to be relatable， but I am usually reading for recreation， which is just easier with likeable characters…） Please keep in mind， though， that I tend not to give many five-star reviews anyway， and four-stars is a solid “read” recommendation from me。 And finally， my thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the review copy！ 。。。more
Carol Custer
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I can always depend on the Kellerman's for solid writing and vivid descriptions。 I've read the other books in this series and like those， I found this to be engaging but slow moving。 I was also a bit puzzled that Clay seemed different than in previous books。 Some of his actions here seemed out of character compared with how he was in the other books。 Still， it's a good book and I'll be looking forward to the next one in the series。 I can always depend on the Kellerman's for solid writing and vivid descriptions。 I've read the other books in this series and like those， I found this to be engaging but slow moving。 I was also a bit puzzled that Clay seemed different than in previous books。 Some of his actions here seemed out of character compared with how he was in the other books。 Still， it's a good book and I'll be looking forward to the next one in the series。 。。。more
Kimberly
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Review featured at www。books-n-kisses。comHaving lived in California for a while I am fully aware of the burning that CA and the surrounding states can go through and having read the other three books from the father/son Kellerman team。 So I was interested when this book was offered。 The problem is the story moves very slowly。 Most certainly the slowest in the series so far。 And some of the personalities from Clay didn’t mesh from the last three books。 While the book was slow， the writing was ver Review featured at www。books-n-kisses。comHaving lived in California for a while I am fully aware of the burning that CA and the surrounding states can go through and having read the other three books from the father/son Kellerman team。 So I was interested when this book was offered。 The problem is the story moves very slowly。 Most certainly the slowest in the series so far。 And some of the personalities from Clay didn’t mesh from the last three books。 While the book was slow， the writing was very palatable。 You can practically feel the burning going on around Clay and his worry about his recently released from prison brother。This was not my favorite in the series and I certainly do not think this can be a stand alone。Disclaimer:I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sharon C
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Jonathan and his son， Jesse Kellerman， are back with a new entry in their Clay Edison series。 I've read them all。 They're all extremely well-written， but I found this one lacking。 I'm sure pure Kellerman fans will love it though。In The Burning， Clay is deep in the throes of California's wildfire season。 This one is so close that the Edisons， like many in the area， are without power。 Clay sends his wife and young daughter off to spend time with relatives， but he's still needed in his role as depu Jonathan and his son， Jesse Kellerman， are back with a new entry in their Clay Edison series。 I've read them all。 They're all extremely well-written， but I found this one lacking。 I'm sure pure Kellerman fans will love it though。In The Burning， Clay is deep in the throes of California's wildfire season。 This one is so close that the Edisons， like many in the area， are without power。 Clay sends his wife and young daughter off to spend time with relatives， but he's still needed in his role as deputy coroner so he's stuck in town。 Called to the scene at a murder at a mansion， Clay finds a link to his reprobate brother， who was recently released from prison。 Said brother is a former addict， known to steal from his family。 He's on the straight and narrow now， married （to a very strange woman）， working for a cannabis company， and living on the outskirts of town。 He texted Clay recently， asking him to get in touch， but Clay's been busy and hasn't had a chance to connect。 Clay is panicked about the possibility of his brother being involved in a murder and reacts rashly by tampering with evidence。 The rest of the novel follows Clay as he tries to connect with his brother and discover what truly happened。The Kellermans are exceptional writers， and what I liked most about this novel was their ability to paint a scene for the reader of what it's like to live in the center of wildfire country。 You can really see the haze and smell the burning。 Thankfully， while I've lived close enough to major Arizona and California fires to have smelled the fires and seen the ash， I've never experienced them close up。 The Burning was descriptive enough that I hope I never will。 What I didn't love though was that this was the slowest read in the series。 Also， I didn't buy into the idea that Clay would risk so much and act so recklessly on behalf of his brother based on very circumstantial evidence。 It just didn't ring true to Clay's character development over four books。 The plots in the first three novels in the series were much more engrossing。Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 The Burning is sure to be loved by the Kellermans' many fans。 。。。more
Robin Taylor
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ARC How far would you go for your felon brother？ Great book， awesome twists and ending
Leith Devine
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This is the 4th book in the Clay Edison series， writing by Jonathan Kellerman and his son Jesse。 I’m a fan and have read all his books。 The writing is very solid and the character development is outstanding。 I love the spot on descriptions of the area and of the effects of wildfire smoke and ash。 Clay Edison is a coroner’s investigator in Oakland CA。 His job takes him to crime scenes， and at the latest one， a rich man with impressive collections， he finds his brother Luke’s car。 His brother woul This is the 4th book in the Clay Edison series， writing by Jonathan Kellerman and his son Jesse。 I’m a fan and have read all his books。 The writing is very solid and the character development is outstanding。 I love the spot on descriptions of the area and of the effects of wildfire smoke and ash。 Clay Edison is a coroner’s investigator in Oakland CA。 His job takes him to crime scenes， and at the latest one， a rich man with impressive collections， he finds his brother Luke’s car。 His brother would never have sold it， he rebuilt it and it’s his baby。 Clay is disturbed， Luke has a history and spent time in prison。 When he calls Luke’s wife， he discovers Luke is missing。 Was he involved in the murder？ Why is his car part of a collection？ The solution was a complete surprise。 I really enjoyed this book， 4 stars。Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Serena Montooth
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The Burning， by Jonathan Kellerman， is a “killer” mystery/thriller。 Kellerman has a long track record of writing what he knows about， aberrant behavior。 For many years he was a practicing clinical psychologist， and his lauded series of Alex Delaware novels featured a child psychologist who consults for the Los Angeles Police Department。 The title of this book， and the context， are ripped from the headlines， reflective of the new norm for California。 The Bay Area is burning; there are wildfires e The Burning， by Jonathan Kellerman， is a “killer” mystery/thriller。 Kellerman has a long track record of writing what he knows about， aberrant behavior。 For many years he was a practicing clinical psychologist， and his lauded series of Alex Delaware novels featured a child psychologist who consults for the Los Angeles Police Department。 The title of this book， and the context， are ripped from the headlines， reflective of the new norm for California。 The Bay Area is burning; there are wildfires everywhere， the heat is oppressive， and the air smells like a campfire。 In the midst of this natural horror， there is a man made one as well。 The local coroner， Clay Edison， has been called in to investigate a shooting death。 Edison was a college basketball star who gave up sports and settled into his job investigating deaths。 As an adult he has had a rocky relationship with his brother， an ex-con with an unstable relationship girlfriend and a drug habit。 The murder victim， Rory Vandervelde， is a wealthy man who lived in a mansion surrounded security fencing。 The fires have knocked out power to the area， complicating Edison’s investigation。 He initially suspects that Vandervelde’s son and/or girlfriend may have been involved but must face the fact that there is evidence that his brother Luke had some involvement。 Hiding the information he has recovered regarding his brother， who has disappeared， Edison must investigate not only Vandervelde’s life and relationships， but he must also conduct a similar but off the books investigation of his brother。 This conflict between family love and the ethical and professional requirements of his job cause Edison significant emotional despair， which escalates the longer his brother remains missing。 To solve either case requires him to solve the other， and it is going to get personal and messy。I HIGHLY RECOMMEND The Burning to anyone who loves a good murder mystery。 There are enough clues sprinkled throughout the story to point you in the right direction but I guarantee you won’t figure it out until near the end。 Plus， the final scenes are so exciting， you will be reading at breakneck speed to see how Edison wraps everything up。 。。。more
Sarah-Grace （Azrael865）
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The Burning is 4th in the Clay Edison series。 I have not read any of the previous stories in this series， but didn't have any trouble getting sucked into this story without knowing the character history。 At the start of the book until more than halfway through， I didn't feel like I liked Clay。 His brother Luke is missing。 The brothers are no longer close and most of that is due to mistakes Luke made when he was younger。 He made bad choices， got hooked on drugs and that resulted in him involved The Burning is 4th in the Clay Edison series。 I have not read any of the previous stories in this series， but didn't have any trouble getting sucked into this story without knowing the character history。 At the start of the book until more than halfway through， I didn't feel like I liked Clay。 His brother Luke is missing。 The brothers are no longer close and most of that is due to mistakes Luke made when he was younger。 He made bad choices， got hooked on drugs and that resulted in him involved in a DUI where he killed two people。 Luke went to jail and served his time。 Now he is out of jail and doing his best not to go back to that previous life。 Where Clay annoyed me is that he seems very judgemental of Luke and quick to assume that his brother has done the worst。 As Clay goes along， investigating on his own， he begins to worry that maybe his brother is a victim instead of a killer。 Without giving too much away， Clay's actions at the end of the story and his change of perspective on his brother， does make me want to read more about him。 It does a very good job of showing how complex family relationships can be。 Thank you to Ballantine and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC。 。。。more
Charlene
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The Burning is a gripping novel which kept me turning pages into the early hours as I could not put it down。 The characters are well-developed and believable and the story-line is exciting， with a number of heart stopping moments。 Highly recommended。 Thanks to the authors， Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC。
Kathleen Gray
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Fans of the Kellermans know that nothing is what it seems and this complex novel is no exception。 Clay Edison is a deputy coroner， his brother Luke an ex-con who has remade himself。 Clay， called to the murder of a wealthy man， is shocked to find Luke's precious Camaro in the man's elaborate garage。 He can't imagine Luke selling it but then he can't reach Luke， who no one has seen or heard from for several days。 Luke's wife doesn't have any answers but they've spent a lot （a lot） on IVF。 his coll Fans of the Kellermans know that nothing is what it seems and this complex novel is no exception。 Clay Edison is a deputy coroner， his brother Luke an ex-con who has remade himself。 Clay， called to the murder of a wealthy man， is shocked to find Luke's precious Camaro in the man's elaborate garage。 He can't imagine Luke selling it but then he can't reach Luke， who no one has seen or heard from for several days。 Luke's wife doesn't have any answers but they've spent a lot （a lot） on IVF。 his colleagues are baffled。 Clay steps over the legal and professional line multiple times in his search for answers but then one of Luke's colleagues mentions that Luke thought he was being followed and everything changes。 Soooo hard to review without spoilers。 I'm a huge fan of this series but know that it will be possible to read and enjoy this as a standalone。 The characters are terrific and this time the Kellermans have used the California fires to add to the atmospherics- the power is off everywhere and the sky is alight。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 Great storytelling makes for a page turning read。 。。。more
Elaine Tomasso
，
I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK， Cornerstone for an advance copy of The Burning， the fourth novel to feature Coroner’s Deputy Clay Edison， set in the Bay Area。When a rich man is found murdered in his hilltop home Clay is horrified to see a link to his troubled brother， Luke and worried when he discovers that Luke has gone missing。I thoroughly enjoyed The Burning， which is the compulsive tale of Clay’s hunt for Luke。 Yes， there is a murder but it’s not the focus of the novel， I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK， Cornerstone for an advance copy of The Burning， the fourth novel to feature Coroner’s Deputy Clay Edison， set in the Bay Area。When a rich man is found murdered in his hilltop home Clay is horrified to see a link to his troubled brother， Luke and worried when he discovers that Luke has gone missing。I thoroughly enjoyed The Burning， which is the compulsive tale of Clay’s hunt for Luke。 Yes， there is a murder but it’s not the focus of the novel， more the catalyst for a desperate search。 I liked the way the authors take the standard trope of an unsolved murder and change the novel into something completely different。 I found it refreshing and very readable。 Clay’s increasing desperation is well done and the reader feels his growing panic and tension as the novel progresses。 I thought the characters were well drawn， covering the gamut of emotions and reactions， especially Clay and his， to my mind， poor decision making。 What comes across loud and clear is his inability to trust his brother and his new life after drug addiction and prison。 I loved all the small details about the characters that bring them to life。I never saw the resolution of the hunt coming。 The senselessness of it is staggering and yet it makes perfect sense in the America of today。 I can’t say more than that without spoilers but it’s great and well worth the read。The Burning is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending。 。。。more
Kindle Worm
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How far would you go to save your brother？ Luke and Clay were close growing up， but Luke took a wrong turn causing a tragedy， Clay was embarrassed and distanced himself as Luke went to jail。 That’s been years ago， but their relationship is still troubled。 When Clay is called to a murder scene， he sees remnants of his brother there。 With Luke now missing he doesn’t know what to think。 Going rogue， he starts his own investigation in the midst of a wildfire and a blackout。 As he digs deeper and thi How far would you go to save your brother？ Luke and Clay were close growing up， but Luke took a wrong turn causing a tragedy， Clay was embarrassed and distanced himself as Luke went to jail。 That’s been years ago， but their relationship is still troubled。 When Clay is called to a murder scene， he sees remnants of his brother there。 With Luke now missing he doesn’t know what to think。 Going rogue， he starts his own investigation in the midst of a wildfire and a blackout。 As he digs deeper and things start to add up， Clay realizes that he might just have to risk it all to save his brother， but did he wait too long？ Once again the Kellermans write an intriguing police procedural。 A slow burn of a book with an action packed ending and while it says that it’s book 4 of 4， I personally think there’s room for more Clay Edison！ Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book。 。。。more
Charlene Roberson
，
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review。In the midst of a wildfire that is threatening Oakland and causing blackouts， Clay Edison is called to the scene of a murder in a gated community。 There are several mysteries to how， when， and why the murder occurred， but when Clay investigates the dead man's car collection， he finds a car belonging to his brother。 This brother killed two women while driving drunk and drugged in a stolen car and has served Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review。In the midst of a wildfire that is threatening Oakland and causing blackouts， Clay Edison is called to the scene of a murder in a gated community。 There are several mysteries to how， when， and why the murder occurred， but when Clay investigates the dead man's car collection， he finds a car belonging to his brother。 This brother killed two women while driving drunk and drugged in a stolen car and has served time for that offense。 But he is now clean and sober， isn't he？ And he is missing， not been seen since the day of the murder。At the risk to his job， Clay hides evidence linking his brother to this crime scene and soon finds that the crime may not involve his brother after all， but may be a product of an earlier investigation of his own。This one kept me reading long after I should have been asleep。 Clay is constantly in trouble and now has a wife， a daughter， and another child on the way。 。。。more
Robin
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This was an entertaining， well-written book。 This book hooked me right away and I didn't want to put it down。 The action was fast-paced and high intensity。 I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by these authors。 This was an entertaining， well-written book。 This book hooked me right away and I didn't want to put it down。 The action was fast-paced and high intensity。 I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by these authors。 。。。more
Cathy Garlesky
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Received my ADC of this book。 An engaging book that kept me reading。 The details of the environment really helped to set the stage for the book。 The characters and plot kept me wondering what would happen next。
Sue Plant
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would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this bookyet again have tried to enjoy this book with thoughts of coroners and what they get up to 。。but yet again it embarks on a weird journey that takes clay away from his proper duties and sees him actually disturb a crime scene。。。。not a fan sorry though i am sure other people will enjoy it
Marsha
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This terrific story begins with a murder of a wealthy man in the East Bay Area of California。 The book takes place during wildfires and power outages， adding atmosphere。 Clay Edison of the Coroner’s Office is back， having been among the first law enforcement on the scene。 The murder investigation takes on several twists and turns。 Although this book is part of a series， it does well as a stand-alone。 I am a big fan of these authors， individually and together。 This book does not disappoint！ Recom This terrific story begins with a murder of a wealthy man in the East Bay Area of California。 The book takes place during wildfires and power outages， adding atmosphere。 Clay Edison of the Coroner’s Office is back， having been among the first law enforcement on the scene。 The murder investigation takes on several twists and turns。 Although this book is part of a series， it does well as a stand-alone。 I am a big fan of these authors， individually and together。 This book does not disappoint！ Recommended for fans， as well as readers yet to discover the Kellermans。 。。。more
Patty
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Clay Edison， a coroner investigator， arrives at a crime scene expecting a business as usual day， despite the smoke surrounding his area of California and a massive power outage。 A gruesome murder at a wealthy person’s home may not be normal， but not that unusual， at least at first。 What would you do if you were Clay and during the investigation you found a clue that might implicate your ex-con brother？ Clay does what most of us would do， and tries to reach his brother， but no answer。 This begins Clay Edison， a coroner investigator， arrives at a crime scene expecting a business as usual day， despite the smoke surrounding his area of California and a massive power outage。 A gruesome murder at a wealthy person’s home may not be normal， but not that unusual， at least at first。 What would you do if you were Clay and during the investigation you found a clue that might implicate your ex-con brother？ Clay does what most of us would do， and tries to reach his brother， but no answer。 This begins a twisted story with family history， deceit and greed that doesn’t let up until the end。I have always enjoyed books by the Kellerman family， husband wife and son are all talented authors who can craft a mystery very well。 I don’t write spoilers so I can’t tell you how this story unfolds， but it is a great read that you’ll enjoy。Thanks to the authors， publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book， but my opinions are my own。 。。。more
Kay
，
The Burning is a thriller of a book full of work drama， family drama and murder。Though at times， to me， it moved at a painful pace， it was a great book。
Martha Brindley
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This is book 4 in the Clay Edison series but not my favourite。 The plot just stretched the bounds of credibility a bit far and I found it to be a bit of a chore to read as well as being a bit slow， Overall， I was left feeling very disappointed by the writing。 Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC
Stuart Rosen
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Fast-paced and exciting crime procedural wrapped in a mystery involving family and trust。 Well-developed characters， fascinating dialogue along with a vibrant and at times frightening backdrop makes for a very enjoyable read。
Dawn
，
Clay Edison has returned in the latest from father and son writing duo Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman。I am a Kellerman family fan， and this latest book about California coroner Clay Edison is every bit as good and well-plotted as the past two。 The story is set in the super current California wildfires and begins when Clay sees a familiar car at a death scene。 While he works to keep his family safe and find his missing black sheep brother， the tension mounts。The book features great attention to det Clay Edison has returned in the latest from father and son writing duo Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman。I am a Kellerman family fan， and this latest book about California coroner Clay Edison is every bit as good and well-plotted as the past two。 The story is set in the super current California wildfires and begins when Clay sees a familiar car at a death scene。 While he works to keep his family safe and find his missing black sheep brother， the tension mounts。The book features great attention to detail and a winding plot that kept me guessing and interested。 I am already looking forward to the next installment。 This was a great book， like all the others in the series， but you do not have to read the other two to enjoy this one。 I cannot recommend Jonathan， Faye， and Jesse Kellerman enough to readers。 。。。more
Vicki
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A raging wildfire。 A massive blackout。 A wealthy man shot to death in his palatial hilltop home。For Clay Edison， it's all in a day's work。 As a deputy coroner， caring for the dead， he speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves。 He prides himself on an unflinching commitment to the truth。 Even when it gets him into trouble。Then， while working the murder scene， Clay is horrified to discover a link to his brother， Luke。 Horrified。 But not surprised。 Luke is fresh out of prison and struggling A raging wildfire。 A massive blackout。 A wealthy man shot to death in his palatial hilltop home。For Clay Edison， it's all in a day's work。 As a deputy coroner， caring for the dead， he speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves。 He prides himself on an unflinching commitment to the truth。 Even when it gets him into trouble。Then， while working the murder scene， Clay is horrified to discover a link to his brother， Luke。 Horrified。 But not surprised。 Luke is fresh out of prison and struggling to stay on the straight and narrow。And now he's gone AWOL。The race is on for Clay to find him before anyone else can。 Confronted with Luke's legacy of violence， Clay is forced to reckon with his own suspicions， resentments， and loyalties。 Is his brother a killer？ Or could he be the victim in all of this， too？This is Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman at their most affecting and page-turning--a harrowing collision of family， revenge， and murder。 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This was a very fast read。 The story grabs you！ Thank you to Ballatine Books an imprint of Random House for sending me a copy of an advance uncorrected proof。 。。。more
Drew K
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Clay Edson returns in the third book of this series。 Set with a backdrop of the California fires looming close enough that his family evacuates the area， Clay is called to a murder scene where he sees something that leads him to believe his brother Luke may be involved。 Clay is faced with the choice of doing his job by the book， or taking steps to keep any suspicion away from Luke until Clay can figure out what's really going on。 As the evidence comes together， oh so very slowly， Clay sees that Clay Edson returns in the third book of this series。 Set with a backdrop of the California fires looming close enough that his family evacuates the area， Clay is called to a murder scene where he sees something that leads him to believe his brother Luke may be involved。 Clay is faced with the choice of doing his job by the book， or taking steps to keep any suspicion away from Luke until Clay can figure out what's really going on。 As the evidence comes together， oh so very slowly， Clay sees that he has to take direct action to keep Luke safe。 This was my least favorite of the series， pulling on threads from earlier books and adding very little new to the series。 Clay makes some decisions that are not reckoned with， and there is a very long， and somewhat unnecessary exposition at the end that might have been better served to be sprinkled throughout the book。 There's potential for the next book to go to some new and intriguing places， but I would hope that it will have more pace。Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kimberly Adam
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Welcome back， Clay Edison！ It's been too long since we got to hang out together。 The Burning is the fourth book in the Clay Edison series by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman。 Jonathan Kellerman is possibly best known for his Alex Delaware novels （which are also very good）。 Clay is a deputy coroner and it's all in a day's work when he and his team are called to the home of a wealthy man who has been found murdered。 In the course of collecting evidence Clay sees incontrovertible signs that his brother Welcome back， Clay Edison！ It's been too long since we got to hang out together。 The Burning is the fourth book in the Clay Edison series by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman。 Jonathan Kellerman is possibly best known for his Alex Delaware novels （which are also very good）。 Clay is a deputy coroner and it's all in a day's work when he and his team are called to the home of a wealthy man who has been found murdered。 In the course of collecting evidence Clay sees incontrovertible signs that his brother Luke has been in the man's home at some point。 Luke has a troubled past and in an attempt to keep him out of further trouble， Clay makes some questionable choices that could cost him his job。 Clay learns that Luke has disappeared and hasn't been heard from for days。 Where is he？ What did he have to do with the murder？ As a backdrop to the mystery， wildfires are raging nearby and causing power outages and poor air quality， which gives the whole story a timely feel and a dangerous atmosphere。As with all of the Kellerman duo's novels， there are characters and storylines that are carried over from previous books in the series。 It makes me feel like I am visiting with old friends whenever I read the newest book in the series。 I also love how the authors toss in some dry humor here and there to break up the tension， and just when my nerves were twanging I would come across a brilliant turn of phrase that took me aback。 They really do have a way with words。 The descriptions are complete without being wordy， and the dialogue is not stilted in any way。 Clay Edison feels like a real person - he misses his wife and daughter， he is worried about his brother and yet conflicted because of his brother's past misdeeds， etc。 He's just like the rest of us， except for that whole deputy-coroner-solving-mysteries-and-dodging-danger thing。Many thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC。 。。。more
Chris C - A Midlife Wife
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Crazy plot and ending。 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~When your job and personal life collide it is tough to keep them separate。 That is what Clay is faced with in this new suspense novel。One thing that cracks me up， and I often see similar comments by reviewers of these stories， is that Clay sure does push the boundaries of his job。 However， that is why we love to read these stories！ After all， what would you do if your brother is implicated or involved in a possible crime and you have a badge？The Crazy plot and ending。 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~When your job and personal life collide it is tough to keep them separate。 That is what Clay is faced with in this new suspense novel。One thing that cracks me up， and I often see similar comments by reviewers of these stories， is that Clay sure does push the boundaries of his job。 However， that is why we love to read these stories！ After all， what would you do if your brother is implicated or involved in a possible crime and you have a badge？The Kellerman’s explore these boundaries with this book and keep us in the front seat of the action as Clay rushes to find the truth。 A tip here。 A suspicious activity there。 Trying not to involve others for their safety and preservation。 Drips here and there; they know how to keep us on the edge。The ramp-up to the truth is fast-paced and heart-pounding not only for Clay but for the reader as well。 Is this going to be the last Clay Edison book？ It seems like everything is left hanging in the wind but knowing the Kellerman’s writing， I think there is will be more to come。With the boundaries pushed， The Burning is an exciting read with a crazy plot and ending that will capture your attention！ Definitely read the prior book， Half Moon Bay， before diving into this one！* copy received for review consideration* Full Review - https://amidlifewife。com/the-burning-。。。 。。。more
Dianne
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I would definitely recommend this book to those who love the male Kellerman's writing。 But， unfortunately， it just wasn't my cup of coffee！I have only read one or two books by Mr。 Kellerman， but I do love his wife's writing， so I thought I would take a chance with this new series by him and his son。It was an interesting premise and very up-to-date， what with all the wildfires burning out west right this minute。I did not have a problem with not having read the previous novels in this series。 Howe I would definitely recommend this book to those who love the male Kellerman's writing。 But， unfortunately， it just wasn't my cup of coffee！I have only read one or two books by Mr。 Kellerman， but I do love his wife's writing， so I thought I would take a chance with this new series by him and his son。It was an interesting premise and very up-to-date， what with all the wildfires burning out west right this minute。I did not have a problem with not having read the previous novels in this series。 However， I did have several issues with this particular book。 One of them is that the storyline is extremely similar to a book by David Baldacci。 A missing brother who had been in jail。。。The other issue I have is that the twist was so out in the left-field that I just couldn't believe it。 No matter how I tried to suspend my disbelief， I just couldn't make it work。Most of the characters are unlikeable for various reasons， and that just didn't add to my reading pleasure at all。Again as I said with the first line in this review--I would definitely recommend this book to those who love the male Kellerman's writing。*ARC supplied by the publisher， the authors， and NetGalley。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Burning
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Burning&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Burning&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0